Florida Snaps Elite 8 Losing Streak; Cruises Past Dayton

The Florida Gators received multiple of questions about their elite 8 losing streak yesterday. A group that starts four seniors were heading into their fourth straight elite 8 game. They’ve lost the previous three against Butler (2011), Louisville (2012) and Michigan last year.

Tonight would be a different story. Dayton played well for the first sixteen minutes of the first half, but Scottie Wilbekin took over as he nailed a pull-up three at the buzzer. Wilbekin’s three gave Florida a 14-point lead heading into the locker room.

In the second half, Dayton made some surges but they weren’t able to get over the hump. The main reason for that was Florida’s size and athleticism in the paint. Florida out rebounded Dayton 37-26 with a lot of those coming on the offensive end late in the game.

Jordan Sibert averages 12.5 points a game, but he was shutout tonight on 0-of-3 shooting. Dayton just isn’t going to beat the nation’s top team with that kind of performance from Sibert.

Now the Florida Gators await their final four opponent next week in Arlington.